


think it, then believe it (walk you home).

by nwhrs



Series: all around the year. [2]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: (....or a confirmed and a hint? haha maybe), (and mark??? lee???), Alternate Universe - Vampire, Aromantic Character(s), Chinese New Year, Family Reunions, Flashbacks, Fluff, Gen, New Year's Eve, as expected lol, but somehow chenji and johnten wormed their way into it, definitely not a fair distribution of screentime but my brain died somewhere, handling so many characters was ....... news haha, i hope i did not too bad tho sjdnshbd, this was supposed to be china-line-centric (or kun+chenle-centric)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-14 08:09:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 18,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28792233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nwhrs/pseuds/nwhrs
Summary: "You really came, huh?"In which Chenle returns back to his first home for New Year, and Kun might have grown some more grey hair. Things may or may not have been set on fire.
Relationships: Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Suh Youngho | Johnny, Park Jisung & Zhong Chen Le, Qian Kun & Zhong Chen Le
Series: all around the year. [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2064252
Comments: 6
Kudos: 20





	1. we go nanana (new year's eve).

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Chenle meets a lot of people around and after New Year's eve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy (belated) New Year, and happy AroWriMo! :D  
> This isn't my work for the latter just _yet_ , but do check out the submissions so far [here](https://arowrimo.tumblr.com/) if you want!
> 
> This ... took a lot more time than I expected, but I also started ... fairly late with it. xD It's a few weeks over New Year's eve, but only a little less than a week to Chinese New Year, so I think it's okay lol  
> Much thanks to my trusted beta-reader [Rose](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cinnamonsun/pseuds/cinnamonsun) !! Honestly, I don't know where I would be without you (... probably with a lot more unnecessary words SJDNJABHD), and thank you for picking this project, too, it was a lot of fun!! uwu <3
> 
> We finally dig a bit further into the overall setting! -eyes- and while I Do believe this story is all over the place, I hope you can forgive me sjdbajb I had a lot to ... tell ... %D  
> Anyway! Here's a little think piece for you - can you guess my favorite sentence? oOo In either way, hope you enjoy reading it, if only a bit!

There is not an exact time - a single moment - that would define a 'family'. The blood-bound ones, maybe, but the rest? A 'family' can be regarded as social concept, a group of like-minded or otherwise connected individuals that were made or chose to stick together, applicable to just about any formation of people and animals and unspecified living or undead beings, so really, it is more of a question as to 'what' one interprets a 'family' to be.

Sometimes, 'family' is simple.

But even bonds that do not carry a name can - over time again and again - form and survive, as much or as little as it is expected.

And sometimes, it returns to the start.

  
  


\-----

  
  


Chenle is a vampire.

Which is, according to the boy himself, _terrific_. Like, _absolutely_ terrific. Surely, there are definitely disadvantages of being a vampire, such as being extremely sensitive to light and sunlight in particular, needing to feed on blood, but practically having eternity conquered? All the time in the world, more or less at your feet?

_Hell yes._

Although the red eyes were vaguely weird at first, he came to like them - the ruby red shimmer of extraordinary purity whenever he passes by. It's seen as a sign of leadership - universally acknowledged as such, and many wonder why he doesn't aim to form a coven himself. But, here's the catch - while ambitious, he doesn't _think_ of himself like that. It would be both too bothersome, and he isn't so sure about his actual capacities as leader.

Eyes are eyes, but reality is a whole other deal.

(He can't say that _his_ coven leader, Mark, has just about everything together, but … you know. The effort counts.)

Speaking of leaders … there is one he doesn't see as often anymore. Not since he and Renjun were asked to join the new coven formed by the (at that point) squishy baby leader.

  
  


\-----

  
  


_The first memory was painted in a strange gleam, as if he couldn't see the sun anymore._

_He couldn't see it because it was night, but it still felt like he was … just fine. He could see, he could smell and feel, but intensely so. It was oddly bright, even with only the moon and the stars, and it felt like it was the sun caressing his skin._

_Only that it wasn't, and that was the first realisation._

_He heard steps in the snow, approaching him until his vision was covered with a face - unknown, but kind._

_He noticed it was cold, though he wasn't sure why._

_"What is your name?" the stranger asked._

_He hadn't any strength to reply, so he remained quiet. He only managed to look at the other with half-lidded eyes. But the stranger didn't leave him here, didn't leave him to die._

_(Or was he already dead? It felt a little bit like it.)_

_"My name is Kun. I apologise that I came late," the stranger said, and he couldn't understand what he meant with those words. "But I am here now."_

_The stranger sat down for a long while, until the snow was only a faint memory in the boy's skin and bones - until he remembered the feeling of ice crystals in his hands again and until he witnessed the season's changing with different eyes, Kun stayed by his side._

_Until laughter returned to his soul._

  
  


\-----

  
  


"You packed everything?" Mark asks, worry evident in the crease of his eyebrows.

Chenle sighs. "Ya, I'm going over to _Kun's_ \- I could probably turn up with nothing but a piece of paper and he would have a whole walk-in closet prepared for me!" he groans, not willing to go through Mark's meticulous travel checklist _again_. "Besides, why am I the only one going _now_? What's up with Renjun?"

It only deepens the frown on Mark's face and he sighs. "You know that he wants to spend New Year's with Jaemin and Jeno, and I can't … exactly go against all three of them," he explains, for the hundredth time (give or take). "Kun _asked_ for you, specifically, too," he adds, as if it makes anything better.

"What if I want to spend New Year's with Jisung, huh?" Chenle argues (at this point, though, he really just argues for the sake of arguing).

Mark visibly gets in a scrape by that. He rubs the back of his neck. "Uh-" he says, most virtuously. "-You didn't mention that before."

The younger throws his hands up in a dramatic fashion, sighing - almost screeching. "The slander! The blatant amatonormativity! The obvious anti-friendship-ism in this household, I- hold my milk," he exclaims as he stretches out an (empty) hand to Mark.

The leader has a hard time keeping the more fragile things safe. "... Does that mean you'll finish up packing and go?" he asks.

The act is dropped, and Chenle shrugs, shrinking back down to regular size rather than the room-filling theatrical kid. "Yeah, sure."

  
  


\-----

  
  


_"Uhm … hello!" an unknown voice talked to him._

_Chenle turned his eyes, just to be met with a pair of strangely flickering red eyes. There were gold lines finely intertwined with the bright red, like golden veins - only shimmering if the moonlight hit them just right. It emphasised the joyous smile on the face, albeit it's obvious that the stranger was nervous._

_Perhaps even more so that Chenle knew his eyes could be … intense. (Or, that's what they all say.)_

_"Mark, right?" he asked, just to be sure. "I'm Chenle." His face curled to a nearly devilish grin, turning his attention now entirely to the stranger. This unknown vampire was probably older than him, but it didn't really count when he didn't look the part._

_For a moment, only silence lingered - and when it kept on,Chenle sighed. "What is the matter?" he asked curiously._

_Mark rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh … so, I think you heard from Kun already, but I'm forming my own coven now - and I was wondering if you … if you wanted to join me? I do have Kun's permission already, so it's only up to you," he spoke up at last (more coherently than expected)._

_Chenle stared literal holes into the other. A contemplative hum was filling the room - even as he didn't need to think about it, though._

_He already made up his mind._

_"Sure," he spoke, "I'll join you."_

  
  


\-----

  
  


Looking back, he isn't sure _why_ he agreed in first place. Curiosity? Boredom in his first coven where everyone was older than him or _acted_ like it? (To be fair, Yangyang, Dejun and Kunhang only joined after he already left, and Yukhei was fun, but he also tried to be the 'Responsible Adult' from time to time.)

Well, it enabled him to meet his now-best friend Jisung, so that is a good plus under the line. And not everything is quite as _bad_ \- things are fun, and he loves to spend time in his current coven, after all. The city is more fun to watch, too - rather than the town of Kun's coven which seemed to be stuck in time.

Speaking of time, time is a good myth.

It feels like, if hogging a part of eternity all to yourself, that everything can be done any time. But it's true that he hasn't managed to visit Kun and his coven in a good, long while - too busy with whatever goes on in his new coven that there isn't much contact despite the annual get-togethers on special days.

But … this year, huh?

He knows their leader has likely enough to do with the new fledglings, Shotaro and Sungchan, busy to get them familiar to the vampiric life, so two experienced vampires out of sight for a bit ( _especially_ when one of them can be more … 'accident-prone') might give him an easier time with his duties. He heard that Jisung is going to spend some time with the newly reconciled couple, Johnny and Ten, in case they are actually serious with their adoption plans.

(Haven't they just cleared things up between them this year's Christmas …? Couples are definitely weird.)

Yeah, maybe it isn't so bad to get some fresh air.

Chenle breathes in a mouthful of this night's air, having successfully dragged the last of many bags out of the door.

_Feels funny_ , he thinks with a smirk. And with barely a sound, he's gone.

… The carefully packed luggage is left behind.

  
  


\-----

  
  


_"Hey buddy," Mark greeted him, a knock on the door announcing his arrival._

_Chenle looked up from where he was staring at his computer screen, dimmed down to the bare minimum. "What do you want?" he asked, without further ado._

_It had the desired effect - Mark looked visibly hurt, and Chenle's face turned into a grin soon after._

_"Why do you always assume I want something?" the leader whined._

_"You only call me 'buddy' when there's something you need me to do," Chenle pointed out._

_Mark coughed. "Alright-" he said, taking a seat next to the other, "you caught me."_

_There was (arguably unnecessary) pride welling up in the younger, and he proceeded to pause the game - a sign for Mark to continue his pleadings._

_"I talked with Kun earlier, and …" he only managed to say before Chenle chimed in._

_"Oh, you're finally tired of me and are giving me back?" he chirped far too joyously, knowing way too well that this wasn't really the case - he got away with too much to be considered 'hated'._

_It still made Mark frown (it was too easy to predict his actions). "Wha- no, of course not, man! We were just talking and he mentioned that he wanted to see you, so … why don't you spend New Year with Kun and his coven? I'm going to ask Renjun, too."_

_Chenle leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms and contemplating._

_"You need a breather, huh?"_

_Mark visibly deflated, air leaving his lungs all at once. "Yeah, kinda," he admitted. Well, the times surely had been tough on the (relatively) young leader lately, with all things happening._

_Chenle shrugged, a wicked grin on his face. "Yeah, sure."_

  
  


\-----

  
  


Thus, it is the last day of December - of the _year_ as he stands in front of the building containing all the immediate members of Kun's coven (or, almost all - with Ten living just right up on that hill, near the ocean, only six of them are currently lounging in the house).

It's been a massive while since he last saw the house - still in its best shape, naturally, and this time in a relative center position of the town. He figures that comes with co-existing with humans, their living falls together - Kun has always been an advocate for a peaceful cohabitation of the same planet, though it definitely leaves Chenle wondering why he hasn't formed a bond yet, to avoid the need to feed on blood.

Perhaps that's something he can ask about one of these days.

But first …

He is supposed to ring the bell, but the door opens before he comes even close to it, a heat of warm air flowing out into the cold night. Chenle feels dumbfounded, but isn't as thunderstruck to remain where he is - cautiously, he moves a step or two aside.

For his own sake, as it seems.

It doesn't even take a second until something is thrown out rather violently, accompanied by an equally angry voice. It smells faintly of fire or something burnt. Upon closer look, it _is_ a carpet. A … smouldered - smouldering? - carpet, but a carpet nonetheless.

"YA, Kunhang, if you want to carry a hot pan _and_ some fireworks at the same time, please spare me the anticipation and _warn me_ next time," a voice follows soon, sounding exasperated and tired, but … _not surprised_.

Chenle immediately recognises the gentle tone, even when scolding, and it involuntarily makes his lips curl to a smile. Maybe he _has_ missed that old man, after all.

"Kun-mā!" he exclaims, loud enough for the immediate neighbourhood to hear - definitely loud enough for the old vampire.

Who, in turn, only sighs in recognition of the nickname. "How often do I need to tell you, don't- _Chenle!_ " he is just about to mourn this particular fact of his life as his head turns, catching the grinning boy. Surprise colors his worn-out face, the warm rusty red eyes. The - still semi-on fire - carpet seems to be forgotten as he closes the distance quickly and wraps his arms around the younger in a tight hug instead.

"You really came, huh," he says in a gentler tone, kissing the younger's head.

"Ya, I'm not a baby anymore!" Chenle scoffs in exasperation, but doesn't exactly fight it. It … does feel nice, after all the time.

Kun lets out a laugh and regretfully lets go. "Right, right, you're all _grown-up_ now, huh?" he remarks with irony, and it makes the younger wonder whether or not this whole thing has been a _good_ idea to begin with.

He doesn't come far with his contemplation, though, as a second voice rushes out. "Hey, look, I'm _really_ sorry-" Kunhang expresses quickly, in hope to avoid further scolding, "Look, I just tried to help, it won't happen ag- _Chenle!_ " Comically, the vampire's velvety eyes widen as they catch sight of the younger. He runs back to the corridor. "Yo, guys, Chenle arrived!" he exclaims excitedly, and it only makes the guest of honour snort.

Quickly, there are four different pairs of feet audible, all coming down to the door in a hurry to welcome the newcomer.

"Lucky nobody is asleep at this hour today, anyway …" Kun mutters under his breath as the remaining residents rush out, and Chenle grins.

Well, maybe, it isn't going to be that bad.

"... Chenle, where is your luggage?"

Yeah, things are definitely going to be quite funny.

  
  


\-----

  
  


… Or, may maybe, it _is_ just that bad.

The fireworks were _fun_ enough - _that_ is true fun, to set things on fire and get nice things in return. He is definitely glad Kun prepared earmuffs to dull the noise of the fireworks and special sunglasses to protect their eyes, _but_ it was fun.

What isn't fun is sitting awkwardly in the restaurant area of a luxurious hotel at dawn of the first day of the year, after driving about half an hour to get there because the town isn't nearly as luxurious and they need to drive to the next big city for, yes, only this. Worse, only to drink some overpriced hot beverages while feeling far too awkward to eat anything.

Like, he feels _really_ awkward- _awkward_.

Even _worse_ , there isn't Kunhang or Yukhei or _anyone_ around to lighten the mood - though Chenle thinks this stiff atmosphere doesn't do much to encourage any mischief.

No, there is only him and Kun and the waiters who are bored out of their mind and awkwardly asked questions about what they've been up to. Going through the menu was fun at first, but now … They're twenty minutes into the seeping awkwardness when Chenle clears his throat.

"Uh … can we go home now?" the younger asks.

There is a deep frown on Kun's face that tells Chenle that he, too, feels quite suffocated (although both of them _do_ fit into the ambience, with their freshened-up appearance; Chenle just really prefers the carefree look from only a few hours before).

"Yes," Kun exhales, quickly proceeding to pay the bill. Chenle politely averts his eyes (there isn't anything interesting about that, anyway).

There is a mutual sigh of relief as both exit the building.

"Do you do this every year?" Chenle is the first to speak up as they reach the car.

"No good?" Kun finally asks. "I thought you liked posh things," he says thoughtfully, sporting a slight frown.

Chenle only grins with mockery, though there is a sliver of happiness - of being remembered, not because of … whatever this was. "Yeah, sometimes - but I didn't come to spend your money, right? I just want to relive some good old traditions, and have a good time!" He looks over to the other. There is a wicked grin on his face. "Oh, but warn me next time if you want to repeat that - just that I can already think of ways to annoy everyone."

  
The older rolls his eyes, though there is fondness to it. "Yeah, sure," he only sighs and starts the engine.

_Next time_ has a nice sound to it.

  
  


\-----

  
  


After the failed drink-out (or whatever it was; up to now, Chenle isn't so sure), the days pass by with relative ease. He gets to know everyone more closely, especially the three latest additions (though it's already been a while since they joined). And because he can't just enjoy some lavish vacations, he's obviously included in Kun's meticulous chores plan.

Naturally, it became an unspoken challenge to see how often he could worm his way out of that.

On the eighth of January, _finally_ , Renjun joins them - there may or may not have been a tearful reunion with Sicheng, but both are too stubborn to admit that. Things become livelier with that, even more so than before, and for a while, all is well.

Even as _that_ vampire comes with the real threat of his boyfriends coming over for a few days - but _fine_ , he has his own ways to escape that.

"Can I visit Ten?" Chenle asks as he watches Kun doing the dishes (he learned a nice trick from Yangyang - just be absolutely incapable at whatever you're supposed to do and Kun will come rushing to save you and everyone from your incompetence; easy as that).

(Even though he is perfectly capable of doing the dishes; sometimes it's just … so much easier to fall back into old habits.)

Kun furrows his eyebrows, eyeing the younger. "Why that?" he asks.

"Oh, just because … I heard Jisung will be over by now," Chenle offers as explanation - which is absolutely true.

But both know that the young vampire is scheduled to help to clean the house afterwards. And yet again, Chenle is pretty sure that Kun knows that he won't accept a 'no'; otherwise, he might sneak out to go to that house on a hill (that looks way too inviting with its cubical shape and this _freaking_ glass dome on top, ideal for stargazing sessions). And he knows that Kun knows that he _knows_ that _Kun_ would like to avoid a sunburned vampire, under his protection, no less.

After all, he does have some sort of reputation to uphold, protective nature aside.

By the look of Kun's deepening frown, he knows exactly what Chenle is thinking (he isn't so subtle about it, either - it's more fun when they know but still agree, anyway).

The younger vampire smiles innocently. "Can I visit my dear friend?" he asks again.

Kun sighs, but there is a smile crawling up nonetheless. For Chenle, it's nice to see that some things … just don't seem to change. "Fine, off you go!" he groans with mock offence.

The younger grins, throwing his fist up into the air with a feeling of victory. "Yes! I'll go now!" he exclaims loudly, barely catching the shock on Kun's face.

He's already out and about by the time the coven leader exhales a "wait a minute, you mean _now_ \- yah, Chenle!"

Only a few things are quickly thrown into his bag before he jumps dramatically out of the window - before Kunhang (his temporary roommate) can utter any word of irritation.

… Well, it would have been more dramatic if the room isn't on the ground floor, but hasty steps are quickly forgetting about that.

Red eyes shimmer in competition with the stars, in anticipation.

  
  


\-----

  
  


The night is technically young, so Chenle allows himself some detours on his way - even though he really wants to see Jisung (... and Ten and Johnny, perhaps), he is scarcely in town, so he enjoys to stroll through the streets that always seem a bit stuck in time, with cobstone ways and small alleys with little wooden doors. _Just like Kun_ , he grins as he thinks back to the traditional Chinese interior of the house and the kitchen that has an odd sense of familiarity. Even as Kun tries his best to keep everything clean and tidy, the grease-covered pans and bottles of various oils and sauces still persevere through every meticulous cleaning session.

He hums as he runs past some other vampires - perhaps under Kun's protection, too - and he greets the few humans that still roam the town's streets at night. He doesn't pay them much mind - and the closer he gets to the direct way up to Ten's (and Johnny's) house, the more he runs the last few steps.

Ten - probably warned by an exhausted Kun - is already out and sees the quickly nearing silhouette. Chenle thinks he's laughing as he calls for someone, just as he turns to him.

"Chenle, you're really here, huh?" the vampire with those crimson eyes greets him with open arms, but …

… Chenle rushes straight past him.

"Where's Jisung?" he asks as he glances around, stopping just short of crashing with the door.

"The youth these days …" he sighs in mock tragedy, shaking his head - it's only then that the younger vampire turns around, grin in place, to run the few steps back to hug the other.

"Good to see you, Ten-shū!" Chenle _finally_ greets with a wicked smile.

The older groans. "Ya, am I some middle-aged man? Stop calling me _shū_ ," Ten whines. Chenle laughs.

"Yeah, _yeah_ , sure, you're only some centuries old - but, for real, where's Jisung?" he demands, rolling his eyes as Johnny joins them. Who has the _audacity_ to greet Ten with a quick _forehead kiss_ \- right in front of his innocent eyes! Chenle grimaces.

But, to his redemption, he has Jisung in tow, wide-eyed and struck with the familiar grin.

"Ya, are they always this disgusting?" Chenle mutters to him as they stand close, a combined effort of both gravitating towards another.

"I … am not sure. I think?" Jisung offers thoughtfully.

Ten rolls his eyes, and Johnny laughs before Chenle can say more. "My house, my rules, young grasshopper," the shortest of them declares with a devilish smile - one that easily rivals Chenle's at his best (or worst, depending on who you ask).

Chenle gasps, but even _he_ has no ambitions to get kicked out so soon (not that he thinks any of them would). "Your cookies on christmas were nice, by the way," he chirps with the most innocent face he can muster. "Aaand with that, I'm gonna kidnap Jisung! Hi, Johnny! Bye, Johnny! Bye, Ten!"

Quickly, he grabs Jisung's arm, the adults' confused noises aside, and makes a beeline for the door and the stairs - up to the highest point of the house. He hears faint exasperated voices, but they are drowned out by their hasty steps.

And then within no time, they arrive - through the door, up under the glass dome where a starry sky awaits them. It's been long since he was on the roof-slash-attic-slash-top floor of the house, but it's not any less impressive. There are a few benches and a hanging mat to relax on, but the majority of the space is taken by an abundance of pots and plants - some of them displaying their flowers proudly, some still hiding them away until they're crafted to their very own kind of perfection.

And everything is framed by the deep blue night sky, illuminated by the moon and the plentitude of stars.

"I prepared what we agreed on, come!" Jisung is now the one dragging the other.

Chenle grins. "Operation Sneakers, first phase, is cleared!" They hurry to block the door with a few potted plants before they _finally_ go to their makeshift hideout spot, as prepared by Jisung. In a remote corner of the roof, there's a proud assembly of all sorts of pillows and blankets. It's somewhat chaotic, yet awe-striking on its own.

"Woah … and that's everything you could find?" Chenle lets out, impressed as he throws himself onto the cozy little hill.

Jisung lays down next to the other in no time. "Not _all_ of it … I left a blanket for Johnny-hyung and Ten-hyung," he admits. "I couldn't leave them with nothing."

Chenle hums contemplatively. "You're right, they let you stay and me in, so … guess we need to be nice?" he thinks out loud.

He can almost hear Jisung's eye roll.

"You would've done the same in my place," the vampire points out. Both of them adjust their position, so they can stare at the widely open sky above them.

"You know," Chenle breathes out. "On second thought, I think it's good you left them a blanket. I don't wanna upset Ten to the point he rattles that coverage thing up."

Jisung only snorts, but he counts it as agreement.

"So, how's life so far with them? You think you want them as parents?" the vampire asks directly - the one thing that has been lingering between the two of them. He knows it doesn't mean that Jisung would leave the coven. Take Johnny, who is still primarily part of Taeyong's coven, although he doesn't reside in that coven's main area, now preferring to live with Ten in close proximity to Kun's coven without joining them. It wouldn't tear them apart, technically, but certainly change one or two things.

But, the change lies within whether Jisung wants to have 'parents', in this strange meaning - he isn't without a family per se, having all their combined covens as reliable support if needed, but this specific bond …

Chenle wonders what Jisung wants.

And alone with his thoughts, he waits until the younger would finally reply. Staring up into the sky, it feels as if he could hear Jisung's thoughts, one by one flickering up and gone, like satellite lights in the sky.

"... Jisung, are you listening to me?"

Something - _somebody_ startles awake next to him, evoking a groan. "Ya, Jisung! I asked you something!" he gasps in his 'I am so done with you' voice - even as he doesn't mean it.

Jisung lets out a little sigh, too - but both of their voices sound far too amused to be truly annoyed. "I heard you, I heard you! I was just … thinking," he replies.

Chenle rolls his eyes, but says nothing - just hoping that he won't doze off again.

"I think …" Jisung says at last. "They're nice? I like them."

The older furrows his brows a bit. "Aren't they like, super disgustingly lovey-dovey, now that they finally made up? I mean, _we_ didn't witness how they were when they were a couple way back when, but I heard some teeth-rotting stuff," Chenle remarks, a cold shiver running down his spine.

Ah, yeah, couples. Perhaps he is glad that Kun is more concerned about his coven.

"It's actually fine, I was surprised, too!" Jisung replies with astonishment. "But it _was_ pretty surprising to hear that after all those years, Ten _actually_ didn't lose his emotions - did, did you know? And he said he's identifying aromantic, and the PDA is okay-" His voice is colored with awe - Chenle doesn't even need to check the face of his best friend for that.

But he should check his own, mouth agape as he processes the words. "Hah? Since when? But wait, I thought he's back together with Johnny, like, _for real_ together now, so … hah?"

He earns a quiet, drawn-out snort from the younger. "I haven't asked much, but turns out he faked it because … uh … things? I didn't ask about that - they seem to be happy, though. I think they talked a lot - do people look like that when they talk a lot?" Jisung lets out, curiosity evident in the subtle tone of his voice.

Now, it's Chenle's turn to snort. He nudges Jisung once again. "Pff, and I was already suspicious of Ten's vivid expressions whenever he thought nobody was looking … so it _was_ an act!" He can't hide the slight sliver of amazement.

And all for … _what_?

There is still puzzlement in the young vampire's mind about that.

"But all things aside, I think I like them - not sure _yet_ about the parents part, but they seem to be … genuinely hyped about it? I wonder if they had wanted to, like, adopt someone - like, you know - from before they broke apart, back then," Jisung shares. "I think it might be nice … after all."

Chenle nods. "So you're finally there, huh?" he lets out, a little melody in his words.

He turns his head to look at his best friend. He grins as he does, looking into red eyes with a strange yet beautiful gradient from a fiery red to a deeper color of something auburn.

Unlike Chenle, who technically was picked up by Kun from the first day of being a vampire and who then turned to be his 'father', Jisung pretty much dark-horse-esque manoeuvred his way into being a vampire on his own, eventually invited into a coven by Mark and Taeyong. But that hasn't directly turned into this type of bond, even as Taeyong specifically would be more than happy to formally take him under his wings - yet Jisung declines because he already feels too indebted to the vampire.

But now, Jisung grins back just as much. "Maybe," he lets out, tentatively, but it doesn't sound as bad.

  
  


\-----

  
  


Life as an immortal means being ripped off one's usual life as human - from one's family to any connection as human. They are likely to wither away eventually. Forming covens feels like the closest substitute for those who need it - a group to _belong_ to. Yet with their group's continuous expansion, close relations tend to be drowned in the mass of members. Chenle isn't sure when, but at some point in their history, they have _sort of_ established a system, in which a younger and an older member are considered to be related more closely. It technically just means being each other's emergency contact, but they were often founded on emotional bonds, after all. For ease, they call it a 'parent-child' relation (and because all of Taeyong's other attempts at naming were quite horrible; Chenle saw the notes).

Most of these have formed naturally - such as Kun and himself or Jeno and Doyoung. To be honest, he's more surprised Ten isn't asking to adopt Yangyang when he grew so fond of him over time, but … sometimes, Chenle would say that Ten is more ready to dispose Yangyang's actually dead body than being scribbled down as the emergency contact for this wild card of a vampire, with eyes so ablaze it has a whisper of actual fire.

But why Jisung?

Chenle is still frowning over that question as he sits in the living room, cross-legged on one couch while Ten sits on the other one across from him, one leg neatly laid over the other.

It's red eyes observing red eyes.

Only that Ten does smile and it looks more natural than the stiff emotionlessness he displayed since they knew each other. It's a refreshing change - but suspicious, too.

"I thought you'd run off to Kun the moment Johnny managed to get a hold of Jisung for their walk - I heard there's some rare flower they wanted to see," Ten remarks, sipping the lukewarm chocolate he has prepared for both of them - _without sugar_ , Chenle notes, with a traitorous fondness.

_Kun must have snitched my preferences_ , he thinks ('snitched' _might_ not be the perfect word for this specific situation, but still, _Kun, you snitch_ ).

"Would you have preferred that?" Chenle replies calmly.

Ten shakes his head. "Nah, I expected you wanted to … talk? You've been staring daggers at me since you came down," he says just as calmly, though way more relaxed than the younger has ever seen him. "I have to admit, clever trick to barricade the door with my potted plants - you probably heard how I yelled at Johnny to be careful when trying to open the door."

It's by that compliment that Chenle eases up, just a bit, taking a sip of the chocolate. "Well, a little bat chirped …" he comments with a crooked grin. Ten scoffs at that.

They're both far too obvious.

"So, we both used Kun as information source?" he snorts and for the first time in forever, both of them fall into easy laughter at the respective memory of asking Kun about each other's weak spot. The laughter doesn't last, though, crimson eyes turning thoughtful - as Ten begins to hum a little, almost inaudible melody.

"Now, what are your questions?" he asks without further ado.

"Oh, am I that predictable?" the younger remarks, eyes staring right into Ten's.

The older vampire's eyes are almost the same hue of pure red that it feels like a mirror, albeit of a different shade - and if it wasn't for this rebellious small dot of carmine within the crimson, a darker color in just one of his eyes. It's irritating Chenle in the same way that Ten's entire being irritates him.

Ten doesn't say anything after his rhetorical question, remaining quiet yet attentive as he waits for whatever Chenle has to say. And the young vampire has quite a lot to say, actually - after all, it's one of the potential parents for his best friend (Johnny kind of already passed - Chenle has way more suspicions about this bond partner of his).

"You didn't lose your emotions," the younger vampire finally says, "you're identifying as aromantic, but you're in a - I take - romantic relationship with Johnny, and you want to adopt Jisung. Why?"

It's arguably a lot at once, but he also has a lot of questions, at once.

Ten looks at him with a sort of amused, incredulous look - is he _enjoying_ this situation? Perhaps, he's already been through it a few times and Chenle is just another one to ask the same tedious questions; something that doesn't really sit well with the younger, but what can he do? He frowns.

"I figured you'd ask, so-" Ten says, too relaxed for Chenle's comfort.

"-you prepared a powerpoint presentation?" he guesses, raising his eyebrow.

Ten lets out a short huff, bemused by the younger - and it only irritates him even _more_. What the hell is so funny?

"Uh - no. I just asked Johnny to go on that walk with Jisung, actually. To begin with, I think we need your 'yes' before we can actually adopt Jisung or am I wrong?" Ten comments, taking a sip of his drink, but his eyes are never quite leaving Chenle.

Not that he wouldn't stare the other down, either.

"As for Johnny and me … you know, identifying as aromantic doesn't exclude you from being in a relationship - as well as being romantically attracted to people doesn't mean you will be in a relationship one day. It's … essentially up to you, and I personally want to be with Johnny. I'm not sure if you can call our relationship 'romantic', though … it may be, it may be not, we aren't sure yet," Ten finally replies. "His 'love' might be different from mine, but that doesn't mean this difference is inherently bad, don't you think?"

Ten's red eyes are twinkling in the dimmed lights - it might have been with a dangerous glint, if not for the gentle curve of his lips, waiting patiently for the words to sink in.

"As for Jisung … I'm not entirely sure myself, but it just … feels like it? I know, this reasoning is as lame as it gets, but both Johnny and I want to give him a warm home," he concludes, a careful smile on his face.

Chenle stares at the older.

"Are you married to Johnny?"

Ten furrows his eyebrows at the sudden change. "I am not."

"Then, are you going to get married to Johnny?" Chenle continues.

"Do I need to be married to him to earn your approval?" Ten replies, surprise evident in his voice.

"Don't you _want_ to get married to him?" Chenle retorts anew, suspicion lacing his words.

He doesn't think there is something particularly funny about his words, but Ten seems even _more_ amused than before. "I don't know? I could assume that Johnny might propose to me one of these days, but it's not something I need to be happy," he remarks. "Happiness isn't something anybody of us can determine universally, huh? I can only hope that my happiness and Johnny's - and hopefully Jisung's and yours - will overlap as much as possible, whatever it means."

Chenle takes another sip of his drink, purely red eyes looking at the vampire across him with caution. There is still a fraction of something in his eyes, wavering in the face of Ten - he hates to display it, but he doesn't want to voice it, either.

_Suspicion. Skepticism. Anticipation._

Ten hums as he swirls the liquid in his mug. "Hm … like, you want to live with your best friend in a cabin in the woods and invite wolves and brown bears for tea, right?" the older remarks nonchalantly while Chenle almost chokes on his drink.

" _Jisung_ -" he groans, coughing slightly.

"Don't blame him, it was me who … maybe had a look in his notebook - but in my defense, it was out in the open!" Ten remarks, clearing his throat. "No, sorry. That was rude of me, I shouldn't have snooped in Jisung's belongings and mentioned your dreams so lightly," he says with a regretful voice. Chenle relaxes just the tiniest bit, crossing his arms in defense (maybe he can forgive this time; _maybe_ , he has done it before, too - but he also apologised!).

"My point is," the older starts anew, "I want that, too. I want to live together with my best friend, although my ideal-" He gestures around them. "-is this. A house on a hill, near the ocean, with Johnny. And that's all there is. Whether there is something else doesn't matter in the end, as long as this small thing comes true."

"That sounds _kinda_ like you're in love," Chenle points out, though he can't help but to sound suspicious of his own words. Because _is Ten in love?_ Only the vampire in question can tell, and Ten merely smirks.

"I hate to break the news to you, but … I don't think I am," Ten hums, thoughtfully. "I'd say it's something different, but … not necessarily worse, or better. Just. It is … _that_."

Chenle curls himself to a sphere, eyes glancing over the top of his knees, mouth hidden by his folded legs. He looks at Ten with a pensive glance, thinking, turning the words over and over.

It isn't like Chenle wouldn't trust his elder, and he finds it isn't like he can't relate to him, sort of, and yet … it's wondrous, to let those words sink after all (it feels like a first).

(In some ways, it also feels … familiar.)

Ten sighs, though it doesn't sound disappointed - rather understanding, colored by a fond smile. (Chenle wants to exterminate that off his face with weedkiller, but … also not really.)

"Love doesn't define us," Ten says, "at least, it doesn't have to."

Silence is building up, those words lingering between them. Chenle doesn't even notice how time passes between them, with Ten silently emptying his cup as the younger remains in his curled-up position, no words exchanged at all.

It's only when there is noise and chatter at the door that he snaps out of his reverie, almost immediately jumping up. He probably would have left in an instant to join Jisung and Johnny by the door and to hear about their stories if not for the faint _clunk_ of Ten's mug meeting the wooden table.

"You know, it's Kun who said that to me once upon a time," Ten remarks with an encouraging smile - then, a smirk. "He also says he misses you."

And with that, Ten stands up to greet Johnny and his maybe-soon-to-be-son (as much as the title is worth it). Either way, Jisung is _also_ his best friend, so Chenle gets front row seats to Jisung's rambling about this weird wild flower they saw (or … they didn't; Chenle needs to ask him again later), as much as he wants or not.

"Now, now, Chenle, since dawn is approaching, you might want to go back before the sun is too strong," Johnny speaks up as soon as he _thinks_ there is an end to Jisung's story (or just a clever pause), gently nudging the vampire in question - who frowns. Chenle knows it's the only reasonable course of action, considering he _really_ gets nasty sunburns when he doesn't pay attention, but that doesn't mean he needs to _like_ it.

Ten smirks at the clear sign of disdain on the young vampires' faces. "Yeah, so since dawn is approaching … why don't we have a sleepover? We can call Kun if you want to stay with us instead," he suggests, lighting up two pairs of red eyes in delight. They can't nod fast enough (which is odd, considering that they usually live together under the same roof, anyway - but sleepovers are just something else!).

But then, Chenle crosses his arms in mild suspicion. "You just told me Kun misses me," he points out.

The older shrugs his shoulders, smirks. "Kun isn't the boss of me - besides, you have about three weeks left to spend time with him, I think you need a break from this grandfather of yours," he hums, to which Johnny playfully jabs his back.

"Let me guess, I am the one who's supposed to make the call?" the tallest of them exclaims with a dramatic sigh.

Ten merely tiptoes to breath on-slash-kiss (Chenle hasn't really looked _that_ close) the other's cheek. "You know how he gets when I ask for things - thanks a lot!" he says quickly before dragging both of the younger (but taller) vampires upstairs, leaving Johnny with no other choice than to comply. "Let's go prepare your stay, Chenle!"

Said vampire could not look any more disdainful than this by the excitement of someone other than him, but the feeling is soon taken over by the excitement of having a _sleepover_ at Jisung's.

… Ten's. And Johnny's.

(Well. Priorities.)

  
  


\-----

  
  


"Huh, not too bad …" Chenle lets out as they enter Jisung's (temporary? permanent?) room.

It is a spacious room, with large windows (that are now covered) and colorfully printed curtains, with stains of various colors on a dark blue ground - likely made by none other than Ten himself. Generally, the whole room is clothed in dark blue, with minuscule dots of brighter paint of yellow, silver, white and golden. It bears resemblance to a starry sky, and Chenle wonders if he could find constellations if he looks for it. The furniture is rather simple, though it becomes visible that Jisung has started to _live_ in this room, despite the fact that he's only here for a few days. The room, as it is now, has a comfortable and cozy look to it, with little sprinkles of _Jisung_ , such as randomly distributed clothes and books. And above all, there is _much_ room to transform - nothing is really permanent, unless the resident wants it to be.

Jisung is looking at him with a mixture of curiosity and pride (probably because _his_ rooming situation with Kunhang can't compare, but _hey_ , Kun also has to house five or more vampires in _his_ house; keeping a spare room for the nearly non-existent visits of one moody vampire isn't feasible).

"Sooooo … you spoke with Ten," Jisung says bluntly.

Chenle snorts, letting himself drop on the far-too comfy bed. "Woah, didn't expect Johnny to snitch," he remarks in mock exasperation, clasping the shirt right where his (unbeating) heart is supposed to be.

Jisung's eyes widened. "It was a secret? I thought it was pretty obvious," he retorts, scrunching his nose in confusion, "Johnny didn't tell me anything, by the way, but he was _so_ nervous all the time, and it can't be me. It felt like Ten was left alone with my mom or something!"

"Well, I'm definitely not Jaemin, though," Chenle snorts.

"Definitely not," Jisung joins the erupting laugh. "Ten must still think you are important."

"I _am_ ," Chenle exclaims at that, sitting up as he pats the seat next to him (as if this room was his to begin with). The younger complies, rolling his eyes, but there is still a grin.

"You are - can't get adopted by someone who isn't approved by my best friend," Jisung remarks with faint sarcasm, nudging Chenle as he speaks. "Otherwise, they'd never hear the end of your nagging when you come over more often than not, _when_ I'm even over at theirs."

Chenle only smirks in a swell of ironic pride. "They would _never_ , can't have uncool parents for my best friend! At least _one_ of us needs the cool one," he declares, huffing as he ruffles Jisung's hair - who exclaims a "hey!" and fights for ownership of his hair, trying to fix the mess that was done.

"So, what do you think of Ten now?" Jisung wonders, giving up on flattening a peculiarly stubborn strand of hair.

"Hm …" Chenle thinks out loud, cogs rattling in his mind, "I think he's okay."

Jisung gasps in fake shock. "Okay? You said _okay_? What a generous review!" he lets out, though he's less capable of keeping the act, bursting out into laughter not long after.

Frowning, Chenle slaps the other's arm - and soon enough, a purely meaningless, not even that serious fist fight-slash-pillow fight breaks out.

Not that there was any order in the room to begin with, but whatever small survivor of it has existed, it's now gone as pillows and/or fists don't … always hit their target. (They don't get themselves or each other hurt; this can't be said about several items and material possessions, though.)

Needless to say that Johnny nearly drops the mugs filled with lukewarm milk and honey as he enters the room to two boys, undeadly lying on the ground in a total chaos of a room.

(He doesn't drop them, thankfully.)

  
  


\-----

  
  


Johnny makes them clean up, which is _so_ not cool, but he also brings cookies as a bribe, so none of the younger ones actually dares to say _no_.

Even as they do not clean _all_ of the room, and don't even do a good job, but once Chenle starts to yawn (obnoxiously) and Jisung joins, too, Johnny drops the 'stern parent' act and calls it a night. He tucks them both to bed, despite continuous complaints of both about already being far too old for that - perhaps that's just his way of taking revenge. Chenle considers it very odd, but judging by both his and his best friend's utterly disgusted faces when he kisses their foreheads goodnight, it might be pretty effective.

"Now then, have a sound sleep," Johnny sounds far too cheerful, patting the blanket goodbye. It doesn't take long until he sees himself out (under the mutterings of Chenle that he's probably going to be grossly domestic with Ten; whatever they are, none can deny that they are overly fond of skinship).

Silence begins to settle between the two young vampires, but none of them say a word - even as none of them are actually asleep just yet, either.

As Chenle is just about to drift off, Jisung's voice speaks up.

"How is Kun? I mean, as a parent," he asks curiously.

Chenle hums thoughtfully. "Mh … he's okay?" he tries for an answer, stifling a yawn. "He cooks whenever I ask if he can't make something for me and then, he sends it over. Uhm, I guess he could always make time for me? But nah, he does have his own coven, so I really don't bother with it, so we kind of … don't see each other that often," Chenle continues vaguely, thought it doesn't feel like … the actual truth.

Jisung scoffs, probably having noticed the slight disarray of his words, too.

"Fine, _fine_ ," Chenle lets out, not without a huff, "what I _really_ -" (He may or may not have opened his eyes, just to roll them.) "-mean to say is … he's great, I guess? I just don't - _like_ that, you know. He's _always_ mothering me like it's his goddamn only job! Sir, you have a coven to lead, why were you still making my food when I came home late or stood up way too early for that old man to be awake, even?" He sighs. "I mean, it was great, but I just didn't think I could, like, get a proper development out of that. How am I supposed to live on my own? So, when Mark asked if I wanted to join his coven, I thought this would be the prime opportunity."

"I mean, it pretty much was," Jisung supplies not exactly helpful.

Chenle's eyes gaze sidewards. "Yeah, no kidding."

They hold their gazes for only a bit until they burst into an eruptive laugh, unabashed and unfiltered.

"Do you think Ten and Johnny are going to get mad at us?" Jisung manages to say, but Chenle merely scoffs.

"As if they could ever get mad at us," he says confidently.

Jisung hums in agreement before he turns to face the ceiling, with the other following suit just a few moments after. "So, what do you think of Kun now?" he asks, curiously.

Chenle thinks, breathing slowly in and out as he counts the little stars at the ceiling - wait, not what he's supposed to do. "Well … I guess the distance was good. I had to do things on my own, and Kun made sure his coven's running. I still pestered him, but you know? I think we're better now. I also learnt that I do need to ask for things, instead of assuming I know all and everything - I still need to apply that, but-" he says, the last words emphasised with specific vigour and exasperation.

"The great Chenle, needing help?" Jisung says, shocked, supplying what's on both their minds.

Said great vampire clutches his heart under the blanket. "Yeah, I know - _terrible_ ," he lets out louder than necessary. He would have probably launched into a whole monologue, if not for a paper manifesting out of nothing right over his face, sailing downwards by force of gravity.

_Damn Ten and his abilities_ , he thinks to himself.

It's Jisung who fetches the note. " _Go to sleep, you two. Love you, Jisung!_ " he reads, making sure to pronounce each word carefully (though his nose scrunches up at the last words, head shaking slightly).

"Pff, and I thought they'd be asleep already," Chenle huffs. "I mean, surely those old-"

Another note effectively shuts him up, Jisung fetching it again. " _I can hear you_ ," he reads out loud, gasping. He shows the chaotically scribbled words to Chenle with widened eyes. "Chenle, he can hear us-"

Chenle rolls his eyes. "Go to sleep yourself!" he calls out.

A new note appears out of thin air and this time, Chenle makes sure to get it. " _Alright, alright, we go to sleep, too, and you stop being so noisy, alright? P.S., I tell Johnny to stop listening to you now. He only started after I sent the first note, so whatever slander you spoke is unknown to us. You were impossibly loud before, it was hard to miss that - now, please go to sleep, you lads_ ," he reads out loud. His face scrunches up at the last word. "Why do I get the feeling that he means 'lads' as in 'lads, but with affection'?"

The best friends look at each other, and collectively shudder.

"Tomorrow is another night," Jisung concludes, purposefully skipping over the last revelation. "Any new year resolution, by the way?"

But he doesn't get any answer, as darkness envelopes Chenle and lures him into a peaceful sleep.

… Well, tomorrow is another night indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: my parents really used to do that 'visit better-class hotels on New Year's Day to meet with relatives' thing LOL  
> Please excuse Chenle for a few comments during the stay at Ten's btw, he's still figuring things out ;u; (if anyone was irritated by that?) (bc I admit I was sjdnajnd)  
> I'll upload the next (and final) chapter somewhen during Chinese New Year! (I still have classes on that day, so who knows what that means lol)
> 
> By the way, my favorite sentence is: "Love doesn't define us," as spoken here by Ten (Kun).
> 
> If you are curious about what the hell I do when I don't show up, I made a [page for my current WIPs](https://nwhrs.tumblr.com/ao3wips) (and a bit stuff about myself if anyone bothers lol)! I'll update it as I go, so stay tuned sjndjabd
> 
> Thanks a lot for reading through this self-indulgent piece (I say this about every work I feel, but This was truly self-indulgent lol) - I hope you will have a pleasant day, stay safe and be happy, and maybe we'll meet again on Feb 12!! uwu <3


	2. stand by me (happy new year).

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Kun has a lot to do and they celebrate Chinese New Year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Chinese New Year, happy Lunar New Year! :D (And /hint hint/ it's still [AroWriMo](https://arowrimo.tumblr.com)! xD)  
> We finally dig deeper into Kun's background story (that is both the most detailed yet vague background of them all haha; I really want to write an own story about it ... hnn ...), meet the WayV members some more and ... _eventually_ do some things related to Chinese New Year; or how I personally experienced it over years -eyes- as much as I could remember/include, so do note my memories include about 80% food LOL  
> (* Yes, vampires can digest food normally here; it would be too sad of a story otherwise jsdjshbd)
> 
> Much thanks to [Rose](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cinnamonsun) again for beta-ing this, and saving us all from a permanently eye-rolling Kun xDD I really didn't notice sdbjavds but even apart from this, you really helped me out on this one and just in generally ;A;!! So, much love and thanks to you!! ;u; <3
> 
> I admit it was a Feat to manage so many people, so I apologise in advance that some may not appear as much jdjshdhdjnd  
> Like in the previous chapter, I do have a favorite sentence here as well - can you guess it ...? -thinking-

Sometimes, when you close your eyes, certain people come to your mind. People close to you, maybe - or people you just happen to remember while you are busy living your life. Still, you take a breath in this ever-changing world, and sometimes, you allow yourself to remember those people, for just a second - two, maybe, if you're generous.

You smile despite yourself, and then the world continues to spin, but maybe, you are not the only one who thinks of someone in this moment that is just for yourself.

Sometimes, when you close your eyes, people come back … _home_.

  
  


\-----

  
  


Kun is a vampire.

… And he's been one for so long that he doesn't remember just _how_ it feels like not to be one of those night-bound creatures who live off of others' life essence. He doesn't think they're too different from humans (after all, _they_ also tend to live on others' lives, too, right? Only that they kill it before they eat it and vampires … well, they sometimes kill _while_ feeding, but that hasn't happened to him in so long). He doesn't think they're very special, either, apart from a few heightened senses that are necessary to survive in the grace of the moon, rather than bask in the light of the sun.

It's just … his life now, and he can't exactly bargain for another, right?

(He tried. He tried, he tried, he _tried_ \- so, _so_ many times. But he always ended up with more hurt than it was worth, with more loss than he could comprehend.)

Instead of grieving over something he can't change, he's now trying to make the best of it. For a long time, this meant nurturing his own family of vampires - lonely souls he picks up on the way (whether or not Ten was 'lonely' is debatable; Kun can't remember a day where he wasn't attached to Johnny's hip until they weren't - until they were).

But even to this day, he wonders if that was the right thing to do. He picked all of them up at their lowest - Sicheng, Yukhei, Renjun and Chenle followed Ten soon enough - and it felt a lot like not giving them much of a choice. He was the only hand that reached out to them, so it was the only option they had, aside from starving or murdering to death which would hand them over to a truly soulless life.

Even as all of them agreed, voluntarily, to the idea of forming an alliance with Taeyong's coven to secure their peace, he still couldn't help but wonder.

Wasn't he forcing them? To spend their lives with him because he couldn't bear the loneliness on his own?

So, when one New Year's Eve a long time ago, a soft-eyed vampire with a glimmering dream had approached him to invite Renjun and Chenle, two of his own coven's youngest, to join him instead, he simply said yes. Give them the option to choose whether or not they wanted to go.

Of course, they didn't want to remain in the same spot. Strengthening someone's brand-new coven always sounded more like Chenle's thing who seemed rather bored with the status quo Kun reached over years. And the leader couldn't help but to notice the sparkle of _something_ in Renjun's eyes when he saw who would be part of Mark's new coven, too.

It didn't hurt, but it made him ponder.

It didn't stop him from picking up Yangyang, Dejun and Kunhang in the end, decades and centuries after the two went away.

He sighs as he looks out to the full moon. It's the end of the month again and he smiles despite himself.

"The moon is beautiful tonight, isn't it?" he murmurs, to no one in particular.

(He wonders, wonders what he would do if he could … turn back time.)

  
  


\-----

  
  


_Disembodied voices were a part of his life. That was the life of someone one would consider a 'psychic', and he didn't have much choice to be anyone else, did he?_

_He was at the mercy of other people, whoever was in his head, and not only his own._

_Slowly, he closed his eyes again. He poked at the depth of his consciousness, of his unconsciousness._

_He felt the silky robe around his shoulders, and the comfortable lounging crafted specifically for him and to his convenience, but he couldn't see the sky in this windowless, gapless room - not allowing a glimpse of the world outside, forcing him to retreat into the ventures of his own mind as the final resort._

_As the only option._

_"Now then", he whispered to no one in particular, "the moon is beautiful tonight, is it not?"_

  
  


\-----

  
  


He's just about to get the proper ingredients out as he hears a thunderstorm of feet running down the stairs, tormenting his ears.

"Ya, I _told_ you all that you shouldn't run down the stairs, you could hurt yourself-" he is only able to say when there's already knocking on the door - when he's already seeing Chenle's grinning face as he turns around.

"At least I knocked before entering!" the younger nods proudly.

Kun sighs, raising an eyebrow. "The door was _open_ to begin with," he remarks dryly.

"Same thing!" Chenle still insists, striding over to where Kun meticulously laid out everything.

"I thought you're up at Ten's? Saying good-bye to Jisung since he's going home in a good hour or something?" the leader carefully shoves things out of Chenle's curious eyes and - by extension - grabby hands. Well, not that he wouldn't trust him, but …

"Nah, I see him err'day, everyday, so it's not really funny anymore," the younger only passes on, without seeking eye contact. "Besides …" He pauses. "I thought, you know, I do what I came here for!"

Kun raises his eyebrow even further. "Eating everything in my storage?" he offers in barely concealed amusement.

The younger snorts. "Ey! I wouldn't be able to eat _this_ much, even if I wanted to!" he defends himself, shaking his head. Kun squints. … It can't be that Chenle _actually_ looks nervous? "Uh, and I mean - I thought I could, like-"

"-he means he wants to spend time with you," Renjun's head pokes in, his eyes showing devilish innocence within the almost blue of his eyes; yet they shimmer strangely like blood in silver moonlight. Nonchalantly, he says, "Kun-gē, Sicheng and I are out for some last-minute groceries, need anything?"

Kun eyes the youngest with amusement as he seems clearly flustered by the call-out. "No, it's fine - just stay focused and don't get lost! You know how the moon can get," he calls back. He receives a thumbs-up in return, hears some excited voices and casual talk before the door falls shut, leaving the house in its usual state of chitchat.

The leader crosses his arms now, a mocking grin on _his_ face (this is uncommon, but throughout all years not new per se). "Huh …" he remarks, drawing out the vowel as much as he could to the sight of a slightly glittering Chenle. So he _is_ embarrassed.

"Ya!" the younger hits him lightly with a newly acquired spatula. "I mean, I just thought you could show me the ropes - you're going to make tangyuans, right? Y'know, for missing out doing it when we ate them when Renjun arrived …" he quickly begins to explain, pouting almost. "Of course, I can also just go-"

"Nah, come, I'll show you," Kun says with a gentle smile, washing the (very small) evil remainder out of his soul as he ruffles through the younger's hair. "First, wash your hands."

Chenle rolls his eyes. "Aye, aye," he says, frowning, but by the way he scurries quickly over to the sink, maybe not _that_ unenthusiastic.

Kun smiles despite himself.

Well, well …

  
  


\-----

  
  


_He hadn't thought of living so long. Living so long … felt like a burden. He felt like he could have managed to live a regular life just fine, but immortality had this burden that would continuously grow larger and larger … A normal, a mortal's life would only have only been so long, it's a limited source of feelings._

_But an immortal's life? The addition of so many lives to meet, so many lives to influence, to cross paths with. Limitless. He sometimes thought he would go crazy with the implications of immortality, would lose all of his mind and all which was that would make him, well, himself._

_But here he was. Despite everything._

_"You know, I never wanted to live so long," he said, to no one in particular. Now he wasn't caged anymore in a windowless, gapless room that was crafted for the inner mind only rather than the bodily longings. "I just thought I wanted a life just fine, and die somehow."_

_Nobody replied._

_He looked at the moon, shining outside the windows. He drew the curtains close, and sighed. "I never wanted to have to live with this much regret, and fear, and hope, and … emotions. I think I begin to understand why some vampires prefer to shed their emotions like a too-tight skin. It is too much to bear."_

_He turned around, eyes flickering in the darkness - for one moment, they looked different, then the same._

_"But I could not bear to lose them, either. It would be too pitiful, too easy a life. So, I have to live with them, with the good and with the bad parts of it," he whispered. As he closed his eyes to remember how those voices sounded in his head, he smiled despite himself._

_"Yeah. I know. It is going to be just fine, it will always be."_

  
  


\-----

  
  


"Okay, how much?" Chenle asks, a stainless steel bowl ready in his hands. He actually looks excited and it makes Kun smile.

"Hm … take two bags of the sticky rice flour and mix them with water," he guides the younger as he decides to look for the red bean paste.

"How much water?"

Kun looks up from where his face is stuck in the cupboard. "Just until it's a sticky dough and everything - you'll know it when you get there," he replies, face back in the cupboard. Strange, he swears he put it somewhere around here … Hopefully Dejun hasn't snacked around again (he will have to check their stack on Laoganma; it happened _once_ , but once is fairly enough).

Chenle groans "Yeah, but _how much exactly_? You sound just like all those Asian mom memes!"

The joy over having found that one box of red bean paste is dulled by the accusations. Kun frowns at the younger vampire as he emerges from his search. "Just slowly add water and you'll notice when it's enough …?" he says, as if it's the most obvious thing in the world (now, to him, it is - he has done that recipe more than several thousand times in his life and there was never much change). "You can also add a bit of sugar, if you want," he supplies, trying to be helpful.

He's met with a deadpan stare. "Uh, yeah," Chenle retorts.

Then, he finally proceeds to dump two bags of that flour in the bowl and Kun worries for the supposingly simple recipe.

Luckily enough, the dough seems to be fine in the end (despite his own worried glances from afar, Chenle _did_ well at the mixing part). The forming, on the other hand … "So, you start with making a sphere, then flatten it a bit …" he explains, as slow as he can while his hands are already working. "You put a bit of the red bean paste in the center, and then …" Swiftly, Kun is working the piece of dough in his hands around the filling to a sphere. "The end," he says, unceremoniously adding this one to the five others he already did.

Chenle's frown only deepens.

"Wait, hold on - why do you have to be so fast? I'm a beginner!" he whines, crossing his arms (bad take, now his clothes are going to have stains and bits of dough …).

Kun mirrors the frown, albeit softer and more irritated. "This was pretty much beginner pace," he insists, taking up another piece of dough. "But, alright, let me show you again-"

It takes about five other tangyuans until Kun slows down enough for Chenle to follow the exact motions ("But that is _way_ too slow, we have to feed an army!" - "Kun, we're only ten people." - "You never cooked for the six of them, and it shows."). As rough as the start was, the more the younger tries, the better his results get.

Kun feels a swell of pride surging through his unbeating, figurative heart, ruffling the younger's hair after carefully cleaning and drying his hands. "You did well," he hums.

Chenle seems far too satisfied with the result of his hard work, his ego multiplying several times in size. "Heh, right? It was pretty tough to form those things at first, but! I did it!" he exclaims with newfound vigour, just when Renjun and Sicheng return from their walk with last groceries and all the attention is back on them, welcomed by a dash of Chenle.

Kun sighs fondly as he watches the door and listens to the pleasant chatter (or not-so-pleasant yelling). He shakes his head at the pompous words let out by the younger, and starts to clean up a bit.

Chenle is definitely not ready to hear about making baozis.

  
  


\-----

  
  


_He looked at the moon, like so many nights before, even as it wasn't around to greet him. He would still look for it, trying to make it out in the darkness (and sometimes, he thought he'd see a sliver of silver - but maybe, he was wrong)._

_And on a night he didn't look at the moon, he found the first person - a vampire._

_He looked into those starkly red, crimson eyes and bowed politely._

_(He wondered if he didn't look manic somehow.)_

_"Would you like to talk?" he tried and found himself surprised that his mouth - his speech still worked, even if it wasn't in the close confines of his own mind._

_The other vampire looked at him thoughtfully, the trace of a smile visible in the spare moonlight of the sky. He was alone, but Kun would learn that this wasn't regular._

_The stranger nodded._

_It was the first in a long time that Kun showed a smile to someone other than the obscure reflection of his own self in a distorted mirror._

  
  


\-----

  
  


Kun begins to question his life choices.

To begin with, he does that more often than should be considered normal, but this time, the crease between his eyebrows is especially deep. He looks at Chenle who grins at him proudly; Yukhei, Yangyang and Kunhang right with him.

"And I can … really trust you guys?" he asks, even though he knows what will come.

It is not reassuring.

"Of course, Kun-gē! You can _absolutely_ trust us," Yukhei decides to move forward, patting the leader's shoulder with this puppy-like grin of his. It does little to soothe Kun's soul, but what can he do? He really needs to go out and Dejun is the only one safe to take with him. Sicheng and Renjun would have been good, too, but they opted to do the decorations. Meaning the rest … are assigned to bake a nian gao, a simple version of the sticky rice cake, just the sort of plain yet delicious snack he needs to feed them all before dinner is ready.

Which he can't do today because of other obligations.

Kun notices that all of them started to blabber words of reassurement and confidence, but he doesn’t listen to any of them. He blinks instead, uncertain.

"C'mon, you need to go and how hard can it be?" Chenle's words snap him back into reality (or more like the slightly devilish curve of the younger vampire's lips snap him back to reality).

Kun stares at him sternly and sighs. "Okay," he gives in, nudged also by Dejun who has been trying to catch his attention for a while now - they _are_ running out of time. "But, if you run into any difficulties, call Sicheng or Johnny, okay?"

"Not Ten-gē?" Kunhang asks, irritated.

Yangyang rolls his eyes, slapping the other playfully. "Ten is useless in the kitchen," he remarks pointedly. "I mean, not that Johnny is much better from what I've heard, but … Wait, Sicheng? You don't trust him with a frying pan!"

"-Yes, we'll do just that! No worries!" Yukhei intercepts quickly, and it makes Kun finally give in.

"Yeah. Okay," he finally exhales. "Take care of Chenle, okay?"

"Ya, I'm not a baby anymore!" the youngest vampire retorts, but Kun only waves at him as he and Dejun climb into the car - and off they go.

"This is not a good idea," Kun mutters, glad he doesn't have to drive.

Dejun pats his shoulder comfortingly. "Well, it's only nian gao, how bad can it be?" he tries to say, but just as the words are spoken, silence befalls them.

… Yeah, just how bad can it be?

  
  


\-----

  
  


_"So, you found yet another little lost lamb?" Ten hummed with amusement, already awaiting him._

_Kun only rolled his eyes. He sometimes wondered why he bothered to recruit Ten when he was already affiliated - by extension - with the infamous coven of Lee Taeyong, who he hadn't met just yet. Perhaps Kun still thought that there was a leftover loneliness that could need a filling (was that all he ever did?)._

_"Leaving Yukhei alone should be considered a capital crime. I am glad I found him before someone else did," he reasoned calmly. "Besides, I think you will like him. He had the smell of your home on him."_

_This effectively made the other shut up, eyes flickering with interest as he detached himself from the doorframe._

_"So, what is it gonna be for now?" the younger asked, following the leader into the kitchen._

_"I thought about nian gao, he seemed … to be hungry. I know it is neither New Year nor actual blood, but I consider it suitable regardless," Kun explained, warily eyeing the other vampire. "You don’t actually want to help, do you?"_

_Ten wiggled his eyebrows, decisively taking out their container of flour._

_Kun decisively put it back and fetched their container of sticky rice flour._

_"Nice try," he remarked dryly, but didn't make any more attempts to shoo the younger away._

_In the end, he still did the most of the mixing of eggs, flour, oil, sugar and milk before it had to bake for several hours. Ten left somewhere in the middle, watching after their newest coven member, Sicheng probably not too far away, too._

_As Kun poured the slightly fluid dough into a suitable form, he smiled silently to himself (though he wondered, if that was alright)._

_In his mind, he called them 'family'._

  
  


\-----

  
  


They return from their last-minute trip to a … sight that is actually not as catastrophic as he has thought.

In all honesty.

If something was burnt, the bakers cleverly got rid of it before Kun and Xiaojun's return which is, at this point, really all he can ask for. The only questionable thing remains … this. He stares down at the form with _something_ in it. Something that does resemble a nian gao, and yet … "Care to explain?" he asks. The bakers avoid eye contact. He sighs and tries to wear a smile, albeit tired, on his face, "I am not going to scold any of you, okay? I just want to know what happened."

It's Yukhei who clears his throat at last, the ever-sweet manchild despite being just about the tallest of them all, and he raises a hand guiltily. "So …" he starts to explain under the 'I'm not mad, just very disappointed' gaze of Kun, "we were supposed to bake a nian gao, right? And … we really did! I had your scribbled notes-"

"-I am so surprised that he was able to read _that_ -" someone (probably Yangyang) mutters.

"-and it went pretty well!" Yukhei pointedly ignores (for the sake of everyone, honestly) and continues. "We measured it exactly as you said - well, more or less, with just dumping four packs of sticky rice flour - _but_ … you see, we saw that oat milk in the fridge and thought, hey, we could use that instead of regular milk! And so-"

The tall vampire with glistening red eyes clears his throat. Then, he points at the result of their … experiment. It's quite certainly a nian gao _per se_ , by the definition of being a slightly yellow sticky mass, but it is … more fluid than it's supposed to be. As it is, it does remind of some very viscous stew, perhaps the type of some very thick sweet-sour or oyster sauce - in yellow. Sort of. With a slightly brown crust. "It was even in the oven for seven hours!" Kunhang, very unhelpfully, supplies, "but it just … didn't seem to work."

Kun pokes into the mass with a pair of chopsticks, looking at the brave knife that was cut through it (with questionable success).

"Uhm … it was my idea to change the recipe," Chenle clears his throat, raising his hand. He smiles wearily. "I thought it would be fine since Jaemin _constantly_ replaces dairy products with that vegan stuff, but … uh, yeah." He coughs. "Sorry."

The leader's features soften a bit, ruffling the younger's hair, but he's still sighing. "Let me guess, and you really can't trust either Sicheng or Johnny or even Renjun to check in with _before_ you alter the recipe, so you just did your thing?" Kun says, in a much calmer tone than they anticipated, judging by their slightly shocked expressions.

(Perhaps favoritism, but can he be blamed?)

Chenle pointedly clicks with his tongue. "They are _all_ useless in the kitchen. If you weren't busy cutting herbs with Dejun, I would've called _you_!" he exclaims, and - as it seems - puffs his chest a bit. Kun continues to tackle Chenle's hair, but soon, the younger breaks loose under the continuous attack, running out of the kitchen instead with a little yell.

"Oh, yes, did everything go well? All is good with Meiqi-jie?" Kunhang asks. Yangyang, in the meanwhile, is attempting to cut the nian gao, second try.

The leader's attention swifts to the remaining members. Right now, Yukhei joins Yangyang in the battle against the sticky rice cake, so he decides to turn his head to Kunhang and nods. "She sends greetings and wishes us all a happy Chinese New Year - she's sorry that we had to show up on such a short notice, but we stocked up on our herbal supplies because of that and you know how the plants can get otherwise," he explains wistfully.

Kunhang gives him a blank stare.

"... or maybe, you don't," Kun slowly corrects, "It just means it had to be harvested today - I'm sure they will be happy to explain it to you more in-depth if you want." To that, the younger nods enthusiastically before he, too, joins the cake battle by preparing several plates. It rather looks like they scoop bits and pieces of the cake onto plates - with a normal cutlery knife, no less -, but … whatever makes them happy.

He decides to let them be (it's a special day, after all), and walks towards the living room. From there, he already hears cries for mercy (probably Chenle) and curses of unforgiveness (probably Dejun). Kun sighs languidly as he stops in his tracks to enjoy the semi-silence of the corridor just a little longer, away from the disastrous (but not burnt) kitchen and the likely to-be war taking place in the living room.

_So, Chenle found out just whose oat milk they used?_ , he thinks to himself. He shakes his head, and smiles, despite himself.

  
  


\-----

  
  


_"You really want to let them go?" Sicheng asked, slender figure leaning against the doorframe._

_The voice was … unexpected, yet expected, and Kun turned around to face him. He smiled._

_"It is a prime opportunity for them to branch out, and I do not wish to bind them here forever if they can prosper elsewhere," he echoed words he told himself far too many times, but repetition didn't take away his sincerity._

_They were true, if painful yet important to remember._

_"I am sorry, though, if it is because-" Kun hurried to say._

_"It is not because of Renjun, rest assured, we are doing just fine," Sicheng interrupted him before he could utter words that both of them already knew._

_It was always the same with old, senile vampires, wasn't it?_

_"I am more worried about … you and Chenle. Are you alright?" the younger vampire asked sharply yet softly, properly entering the room at last._

_Kun hummed to himself, a sad melody, almost - hopeful, yet. "It gets harder to talk to him, so I think … this will not be the worst decision yet made. I think it is time to take a step back - but … you do not think so?" The moonlight shimmered on both of them through the open window, a cool breeze inviting itself._

_"I only want to make sure you will not regret it," Sicheng declared, and a chill hand patted Kun's shoulder, carefully._

_The leader nodded once, reassured. "Do not worry, I would never regret a decision if it means I can see Chenle soar to higher grounds, and I truly do not believe he will reach them here," he remarked with confidence._

_Speaking it aloud lessened the pain, turned it into anticipation instead. He breathed in - breathed out. "Thank you," he said._

_There was a sliver of a smile flickering on Sicheng's face._

_"We are always here for you, you know?"_

  
  


\-----

  
  


Luckily, the impending war doesn't quite end in a war and Chenle somehow manages to worm his way out of the deadly grip of an agitated Dejun (probably with the promise to restock and some over-the-top compliments and apologies; Chenle can't quite save himself from all the slander, but Kun assumes it's all in good nature, at the very base of it).

Instead, the two of them huddle up on the couch now, joined by Renjun and Sicheng when they finish the outdoor decor just in time. Before Renjun can even mutter a word of complaint, Chenle's dragging the vampire down to his side, vividly discussing some matter that is going down during this year's New Year's Gala. Dejun passionately defends a point, too, but as the back and forth continues, Kun conveniently blends it out.

He takes a seat a bit further away from the full couch, as Sicheng sits down next to Xiaojun, close to Kun as they share a wistful look before Sicheng turns to the discussion to chime in his two cents.

The leader knows he should probably interfere, at some point, but for now, he enjoys the peaceful banter. Luckily, no pillow can be thrown; he managed earlier to get all of them out of the living room, leaving the room blank but safe at the very least.

He's just enjoying the noisy foreground chatter, the annual gala fading into the mere background - even though he likes the song that is currently played. Even as the stage is still - as always - overly marvelous and glamorous, he can't quite get himself to concentrate on the happenings or to tell the others to shut up when they're still hung up on the last skit's punch line.

It's only by the end of the song that the kitchen line (or whatever they are now) slowly submerge from there - or more like, just one of them. Yukhei soon finds a place next to Kun who is shifting his attention to the younger vampire.

"Yukhei!" he says in surprise. "Are you guys done?" (Honest to good, he isn't even _sure_ anymore what exact business the three of them are or were bothering with.)

"Yangyang and Kunhang are still working on it, but they told me to go first, check on you," the younger explains with a grin. Kun huffs.

"You guys? Checking on me? Don't you think it's a bit early for that?" he remarks with a chuckle, shaking his head in disbelief. Them-

-well, is it that unbelievable?

By the slap on the shoulder he earns (that maybe uses a little bit _too_ much force), perhaps - probably not. "Hey, we can also check on you! I just wanted to make sure you're good," Yukhei says, sounding earnestly hurt (or as far as it goes with a goofy smile on his face), "with all of it, I mean. It's been long since we had a full house."

And yet again - there is this vaguely unfamiliar feeling - of not understanding, of feeling _something_ that Kun can grasp yet not comprehend. A feeling he has always looked for, somewhere in the depth of his chest.

A sense of belonging - to _be_ within somewhere rather than staring at it from afar. Just … something like this.

He smiles. "Don't worry about me, I'm fine - thanks," he sincerely says to the younger who brightens up immediately at those simple words.

"Then I'm glad - because Ten-gē said he's going to be over any minute now," Yukhei blurts out, turning his fiery red eyes into small crescents that look quite adorable - much in contrast to the message itself.

"Ah, yes, the fashionably late," Kun sighs in mock vigour.

"Who's fashionably late?" Chenle interrupts his thoughts, scrambling over both Dejun and Sicheng to get to the other side of the couch, not minding the grunts and grumbles he earns.

"Ten-gē!" Yukhei helpfully supplies with a happy face.

"Can I throw him on the carpet?" Dejun interrupts, already estimating the weight on his lap. Sicheng nods in agreement.

"Kuuuuun-" Chenle manages to whine a supposingly convincing argument. It doesn't help in his favour.

"Chenle, please get down from them, just sit properly for once, hm?" the leader says decisively (he thinks he hears Renjun snorting in the background) - and just when Chenle ponders whether or not to turn into a figurative rock across two laps, Yangyang and Kunhang enter the room, balancing several plates with the ominous nian gao. He isn't so sure whether he can call it a 'piece' of it, and not just a … deformed mass, but at _least_ , as questionable as it looks, it makes Chenle scramble to his feet, eagerly taking a few of the plates to distribute the mess to the unsuspecting victims.

Kun smiles to himself. Chenle's probably actually taking some sort of pride in having made something somewhat _edible_ while it borders on questionable; and it is at the very least better than expected from having taken a questionable turn on the road. The leader takes a plate from Chenle while Kunhang scurries to the door as the bell rings (Ten? Ringing the bell? Huh …). Somewhere, Yangyang starts a conversation (or a debate?) over something that is happening on the screen, and chooses Renjun as his prime target (who eyes the … mass of cake suspiciously, but takes a bite as Yangyang continues to talk and eat at the same time).

Soon after, Ten storms into the living room, announcing his arrival with a dramatic pose. He looks like he'd _almost_ throw himself onto Dejun and Sicheng's laps, too, but eventually makes a dramatic turn-over to squeeze himself between the both of them instead, taking a plate from Kunhang.

"... Now, what did I miss?" Ten asks into the round as they are all seated across the living room.

Kun sighs, though there is fondness seeping through and he smiles, regardless. "Who wants to go first?"

  
  


\-----

  
  


He remembers that one day.

Someone asked him if he's happy, and he knew that person's exact tone - their surroundings. If he thought long enough, he could imagine the temperature and the weather at that moment. But he cannot remember what he told that someone - in this fleeting memory, he can’t even ask what happiness entails before that scene disappears from his mind, stops.

Only the question remains.

_Are you happy?_

He doesn't know why he's thinking about it now - perhaps, it's because of the people gathered around him, all of them watching the biggest annual New Year's gala with mixed reactions, eating suspicious but surprisingly delicious nian gao and sharing stories in-between the moments of commentary (none of them really mind to talk over the standard moderating). He looks at them with a smile on his face, and perhaps … it's just all of this.

This, and the fact that he has stopped asking whether or not this was the right decision along the way. He hasn’t concluded that it is _right_ , this righteous word - it still doesn't feel as 'right' as it should or could be, but .. it doesn't feel _wrong_ , either.

He just … thinks that this is how he wouldn't mind spending his eternity - the general picture, with necessary changes along the way.

He can't help the warm feeling in his chest as the last minute of the gala runs over the screen, using this one moment to rise and clap his hands before collective chaos breaks out. "Alright, Yangyang, Chenle and Renjun, deck the tables - and the rest will help carry the dishes!" he announces decisively just before any heated debate can start.

… Even as they still complain. With threats of revolting and barricades, all of them rise, but none of them actually act against the orders spoken. Instead, Yangyang races Chenle to the kitchen to get the plates (Renjun takes it easy for once as he aims for chopsticks and an assorted selection of silverware). The rest follows Kun around the kitchen, one by one waiting to be handed one pot or the other. Dejun is the only one he trusts to finish cooking with him, so Sicheng, Ten, Yukhei and Kunhang are on stand-by duty. He hears some exasperated talk about a few skits of the gala, with Sicheng trying to explain them to the three vampires who look at him quizzically.

"It's never quiet here, but … woah," Dejun comments in the middle of arranging the stewed vegetables in a pot that isn't as grease-plagued as the others, despite varying efforts.

Kun laughs at the comment and there's a smile on his face. "It is indeed … quite hectic, I think I'm growing more grey hair," he replies with a fond sigh.

"Aren't you already past that stage, with your age?" Dejun snorts and Kun playfully smacks him.

"Watch your mouth!" he remarks, a wooden spatula in hand (if he almost slaps Dejun for real, it's not anyone's business). The leader raises an eyebrow in quiet warning, but it soon falls apart as they join together in easy laughter, in quiet chuckles as they wrap up the last few dishes. The main dish is hot pot, but it's a special occasion and he wants to give a bit more than 'just' that.

"Well, then, let's go?" Dejun says, balancing three plates on his arms as he motions towards the door - and in no time, they are right back into the stream of life among the undead. Multiple of them report that several vampires already indulged in the various dishes offered, and he looks at all of them sternly. For once, though, he leaves it at that.

In the background, the fourth repetition of the New Year's gala is running as vegetables, fish balls, slices of meat, beef, pork and other delicacies are dropped into the boiling booth. Words are exchanged as the food cooks, and laughter is shared.

_Are you happy?_ , Kun remembers the question, and he looks around him.

He smiles warmly.

_Yeah, maybe. I think so. Why not?_ , he answers to himself.

"Why is Kun grinning so weirdly?" he hears Chenle whispering.

"Nah, it's called 'smiling' in his world," he hears Ten replying, not as subtly.

" _Ya-_ " he hears his own voice rising, but it doesn't feel like the smile is falling off his face.

  
  


\-----

  
  


The dinner is over before he notices - in the middle, Chenle and Yangyang run outside to burn the last few fireworks they had left. Some others join them to celebrate the ringing of the bells at midnight - they all cheer from left and right that yet another new year comes around again. With laughter and newfound energy, they return to the food soon after - dishes are cleared in record time and leftovers are stored neatly in boxes and containers are labelled accordingly. Kun scribbles _Ten_ on some of them, so he knows which ones the other vampire should take when he returns to his own house.

"And Johnny's really fine with you staying over for the day? You know he could've come, too," Kun asks as Ten points at several other things he wants.

The younger vampire raises an eyebrow. "Yeah, for the twenty-third time, he _is_ , really," he says, sounding amused as he nudges him. "He knows there are other things than being attached at the hips all the time, you know."

Kun looks skeptically at the other. "Please tell this to your clingy selves back then when I met you both for the first time," he huffs. But he isn't really annoyed as he draws the last letter on a box. "There we go!"

"Thanks," Ten says sincerely, giving the older one a hug as he grins widely - even as Kun wiggles himself free, he isn't leaving Ten any time to stage a dramatic exasperation as he's already presented with a red envelope.

"Happy New Year, Ten," Kun says with fondness. "Let's work hard this year, too, hm?"

Baffled, Ten looks at the envelope - not _unfamiliar_ , but he's still hesitant to take it. "... You know I don't need that, right? I'm a grown-up vampire-"

"-who almost constantly runs low on some extra cash for something other than art supplies, yeah," Kun interrupts with a knowing glance, "Besides, you wanted to make matching necklaces for you three, didn't you?"

The younger looks at him, astonished, before the expression fades into amusement. "You really do have ears everywhere, don't you?" he sighs, throwing an arm around the leader.

"Well, Chenle has a loose mouth and maybe saw something, but if you think you can hide anything from me, then … no," Kun hums pointedly.

"You care for me, just admit it!" Ten exclaims, far too agitated for the topic at hand (but perhaps, it's only fair).

And in this moment, Kun bumps their foreheads - painful, but only for a second. He grins. "Yeah, I do, you idiot," he says truthfully for once. It evokes a wicked smile on Ten's delicate features, and he can only anticipate what is about to come next.

"Be happy," Ten remarks softly before he pokes the cheeks of the other, detaching himself from him to leave for the crowd. He smiles as he sends Kun a flying kiss before his silhouette disappears from his sight entirely.

The leader can only shake his head, dumb-founded. It isn't what he expected Ten's words to be, but … that doesn't make it worse. He looks at the other red envelopes, neatly tucked in the pocket inside of his jacket. _Well_ , he thinks to himself, _only seven to go._

  
  


\-----

  
  


He finds almost all of them in the living room. When he delivers Yangyang's, the younger tries to steal Dejun's and Kunhang's as well - only to actually succeed in snatching Dejun's, but before he can even think of letting it disappear in his pockets, he feels a fierce gaze on him (silent, but perhaps all the worse), and promptly hands it over instead.

Kun has to suppress a chuckle as he turns towards the currently youngest vampire in his coven.

"Let me know if you need help with things, but, _by heavens_ , perhaps try and show me what's actually in your brain from time to time, too? You're smarter than you think or let on," Kun says as he ruffles through Yangyang's hair who smirks in reply. The younger one soon disappears into his room to hide his earnings.

He takes the now-empty space next to Dejun who already wants to cringe at the impending doom, under the amused gaze of five others. "Thanks for your hard work this year - consider it a compensation for the extra work I put on you, or think of it just as one form of my appreciation for you," Kun lets out with a sincere smile, and it feels natural to hug the younger - who looks like he's about to smack him, though.

Kunhang, on the other hand, looks like he's about to visibly faint and die on spot the moment Kun comes closer. "Can you just give it to me or … deliver it by mail?" the vampire tries to bargain, but Kun only gives him a warning look. The younger resigns himself to the hug while sporting the most dramatic, desperate face he can muster.

"Ya, don't act like you don't enjoy the attention!" Kun lets out, exasperated. "But honestly, though, thanks for being with us - you certainly brighten our days, you're quite one of a kind." He ruffles Kunhang's hair as the younger one accepts the red envelope.

He only exchanges a few words of thanks with Sicheng (who, by this time, acts bored, but he knows there is silent excitement brimming underneath the indifferent face for the annual happening), holding a quiet conversation before he goes over to Renjun who gives him Mark's greetings. They catch up on what Kun missed while the younger was gone - and then, he is finished with the people in the living room. Here, there's only Ten left who grins, overly amused - for a moment, Kun wonders if he has to worry … Regardless, the search continues.

He finds Yukhei in the corridors, freeing them after all of them have kind of barricaded it over the past nights with several boxes and other things. "Hey, you can just leave it for tonight, you know?" he says with a smile to the other.

Yukhei shakes his head. "It's gonna be inconvenient when everyone goes to sleep, so … I don't mind!" he says with this big smile of his.

"If you say so," Kun decides not to interfere more and hands over the red envelope instead. "Happy New Year to you, and thanks for helping me out - _most_ of the time." But instead of angered, there is bemusement around the corners of his lips.

Yukhei grins back, even wider. "Gē, you really don't need to do that anymore! But, I appreciate it and I appreciate you - happy New Year to you, too!" he replies. After hugging Kun firmly, he already turns to go back to lift and rearrange things.

The leader interrupts. "Actually … you could get the blankets and pillows to the living room, if you want," he says thoughtfully.

The younger's eyes widen, almost comically. "You're okay with a sleep-over in the living room?" He asks in mild disbelief.

"It's a special occasion, isn't it?" Kun replies and before he can rethink his impulsive decision, Yukhei is already scurrying upstairs to scramble into every room and get as many blankets as he can carry. "Don't hurt yourself!" the leader just manages to shout before he sighs, a fond smile playing around his lips.

Well, Yukhei is definitely a one of a kind energy.

He takes over the other's tasks of putting a few things aside as he ponders. Yangyang, Kunhang, Dejun, Yukhei, Sicheng, Ten and Renjun have all received their red envelopes.

Now only one person is missing.

When he deems his work to be complete (for now), he wanders further and further, but it doesn't feel as lonely anymore, with the background being filled with constant chit chat.

He laughs, a little bit.

  
  


\-----

  
  


_"How is he?" Renjun asked, silent worry masking his face._

_It was a cold winter day, somewhere in the lesser known places of the world - snow covering the roads to the point of impossible travel. But, impossibilities had never quite stopped a visitor on their journey._

_Kun smiled as he closed the door, a weary one, bearing just the surface of his boiling emotions underneath. "He is … going to be fine," he said vaguely._

_"So, he is not doing well?" the younger sharply deducted, crossing his arms._

_Even though he was the youngest in the coven so far, it was hard to actually hide things from him. Kun had to realise this yet another time._

_"... No, he is not," he said. "I came too late to prevent … it, but he's … already through, so he will manage." Or at least that was what he hoped for._

_Renjun shook his head. "You were not late - we could not have predicted this to happen," he said sternly, so convinced by his blue-tinted words that Kun had to believe him, too, as he was speaking with this vigour of youth that ran straight into danger's arms._

_Even though he had a whole other history to carry … he remained to be who he was._

_Kun smiled in face of such a force, in his own peculiar way. "You are right," he gave in (because there wasn't much else to do), "it … is going to be alright."_

_It was hard to believe his own words, but Renjun’s encouraging smile certainly helped._

_"You are really good at saving people, did you know?" the younger said._

_Kun only hummed._

_No, he didn't know - didn't think so (but maybe, just maybe, what other people saw was the actual reality - instead of the poor version of himself in his mind, tormented for years by voices that couldn't quite leave him alone)._

_Perhaps - just maybe …_

  
  


\-----

  
  


At long last, he finds the boy in the small garden behind the house where they grow a few herbs and vegetables, cornered by neighbouring houses, with a questionable … input of natural sunlight, but they make-do with what they have.

The younger is staring at a few plants, though Kun wonders if he isn't looking at the sky instead.

"So, here's where you are," he lets out into the chilly night air, a normal kind of cold that would always surround them comfortably. It isn't freezing, it's just … air.

Chenle whips his head around faster than he saw before and it makes him chuckle. So he can actually catch the younger off-guard, too? Interesting.

"Kun-mā!" is the first thing that escapes the vampire's mischievous mouth, though, and the leader may or may not regret a few things at once. He sighs.

"I only let it slip this time because it's a special occasion, alright?" Kun remarks playfully, ruffling the younger's hair who only groans.

"And I let _that_ slip because I know you'll give me money," Chenle chirps in return and earns the scandalous look he most likely aimed for, judging by the successful grin on his face.

"You are lucky you actually mean something to me, I guess," Kun tries to play it off, but the carefully kept red envelope he's now presenting likely says something else. It looks like the rest of the envelopes, but there is just the vaguest feeling of … protection lingering around its immediate air - it's far too serene and pristine in its appearance while it should have been kept alongside other envelopes who look a bit more wrinkled than this.

It's strange to name it, so he never does.

"Happy New Year, Chenle," he exhales in little, misty clouds of breath.

The other grins as he takes the envelope, glimpsing at its content. "Happy New Year!" he exclaims with a mischievous smile.

"Thanks for coming over, by the way - I know you probably didn't want to, but I appreciate you coming-" Kun says, but Chenle scoffs in the middle of it.

"Nah, thanks for inviting me, I guess? I _wanted_ to come earlier, but … things never add up, so … yeah, thanks," he retorts, somewhat awkwardly. Even though they've spent a generous amount of the past one and a half month under the same roof, in a house with so many people, the actual time they spent with just the two of them … difficult to say.

In fact, if Kun thinks about it (and he'd rather not, to be honest), he isn't even so sure how much of their previous years will add up. It's not like they have _never_ spent time together; they certainly did, plenty, but the memories are only telling him this much.

It's hard to keep track of time when there is just so much of it.

"Sorry I couldn't be there for you more than this," Kun says, a sad smile covering his face as they stand there, in the small garden, cornered by house walls and framed by the starry sky looking down on them.

Chenle frowns immediately. "What are you sorry for?" he asks, his voice partly curious, partly in disbelief.

The older shrugs his shoulders, nearly helpless. It is difficult to describe the ghosts in his own mind, even after living with them for so long. "I don't know … unlike Renjun, you haven't had that much experience when I agreed that you could join Mark's newly founded coven. I thought you could learn more from it, but I'm not sure if I should have guided and prepared you more and-" The words are flowing out of his mouth, yet they are still only a trimmed-down version of the many in-between thoughts he gathered over years.

Years of silent regret. Years of possibly rightful doubt. Years of pessimistic hope for the better, years of _wishing_ that for once, nothing is turning out to be as bad as the pictures which the voices used to whisper to him.

It's hard to let go of a shadow; it would always follow.

But Chenle - in his purely red eyes, there is confusion visible, the frown only deepening in the crease between his eyebrows. "Ya," he says, "stop with this nonsense, will you? I mean, you weren't _not_ there for me? I know I could call you when I need help, and you know, I did - and then, you helped me as much as possible. I literally don't know what you're talking about."

At this point, the frown is transmitted to Kun's face, a little mirror image as he furrows his eyebrows. "Well, but that still doesn't mean I couldn't have done better-" he wants to start, but gets interrupted by yet another scoff.

… and by hands being thrown in the air. " _Heavens_ , will you _stop_ with this? I did fine, didn't I? I know I am still learning, but - that's okay. I still have time, and you're here, too, so what does it matter?" he groans in frustration, crossing his arms - and then, he deflates, all too suddenly.

"Okay, okay, you know what - _fine_ , let me just-" Chenle mutters in a clear attempt to order his thoughts to a coherent string, and it effectively shuts Kun (and his loud mind) up.

It doesn't stop the nagging from somewhere in the back of his head, but it quietens it down.

To his surprise, Chenle sits down on the ground. On the soil and the dirt and the dug-out earth, arms still crossed. But he looks up as if he wants- _ah_ , Kun thinks. And then, he, too, sits down. Probably not the weirdest thing he did so far (on account of someone else, mainly, but not exclusively), but … weird nonetheless.

He still keeps quiet, only nodding encouragingly for Chenle to continue - or start, depending on how one could see it.

The younger one takes a deep breath. "Okay, so first and foremost … don't feel like you did anything wrong in my upbringing, alright? Yeah, it's part of your responsibility, or you make it, I guess, but you did what you could and you did it _well_ \- people might call you crazy for letting someone at my age go to a new coven that's yet to establish itself, but you know what? Screw them!" (He may or may not have yelled that. A crow may or may not have flown away in surprise.) "I might not have done well just all the time, and you could have prevented a … few instances of questionable choices, but? So what? Where's the lesson if you prevented me from making mistakes?"

He looks at the older with a scrutinising look. And that itself is quite … unprecedented. "You know, I think you're giving yourself way too less credit for how much it's worth. For, like, how far you've brought me, actually." Chenle pauses and inhales deeply.

"So, like … don't make it sound as if you regret the way I turned out? Do note I'm also still working on that," he finishes, a weak smile on his face as the words fall flat between them.

And it's awkward, this much Kun can tell - it's … strange, in a way, but not … unwelcome. Instead, he feels how a soft smile is crawling its way upwards, holding out a hand. Chenle raises his eyebrow at that, but complies at the silent request, anyway, laying his hand in the other's.

"I'm proud of you, and I think I haven't told you that often enough," Kun says with a gentle voice, squeezing the hand in his. "I know I shouldn't worry, it just … happens? And regardless of all of it, you can still rely on me if you need me, alright? I'm still your 'parent' in the records," he remarks with a chuckle.

The sadness just doesn't go away like this, but it's a start.

Chenle rolls his eyes. "Yeah … I … have to admit I can't do everything on my own, or with the coven. I guess sometimes, I was just too stubborn to admit defeat, and uhm, ask for your help, so … _I really hate this_ , you know?" the younger vampire groans, furiously shaking their hands. "What I mean to say!" he starts anew, with surprising vigour, holding both hands up to the sky. "Stop worrying about me, and - well, _at_ me, stop being stubborn, I guess."

"The ending was pretty lame," Kun remarks with a raised eyebrow and a chuckle. Chenle lets go of both their hands, groaning.

"Oi, shut up! I tried!" he scoffs, burying his face in his hands. He continues to mutter a string of unidentifiable words and phrases that Kun doesn't really bother to try and discern them - for once.

Instead, he smiles fondly at the other and waits in the quiet, awkward, comforting silence.

"Actually," Chenle says louder after a while, "here." He fishes something out of his pockets - a red envelope, wrinkled all over, but it's impossible to tell whether it's just an old one or whether it's marked by uncomfortable transport. He hands it over to the older who eyes it with suspicion.

"I can't accept this - this is not how it's supposed to be," Kun frowns.

The younger rolls his eyes again. "C'mon, just take it - it's not what you think, okay? Just - take it, _heavens_ ," he insists persistently, almost shoving it into Kun's face.

"Okay- okay! Got it," he mutters as he takes the poor envelope, curious nonetheless. Slowly, hesitantly, he peaks into it. Just when the huffs and scowls increase in volume, he finally opens it wholly and lets the content drop on his open palm.

A bookmark, almost far too old-fashioned to be true.

The white paper is intrinsically intertwined with a lovely pressed flower of a burned shade of red, leaning towards the browner hues while persisting their beauty, nonetheless. He can feel the outline of it under the transparent foil that keeps all of it together, keeping the flower and its surrounding lines of gold and silver away from harm. A clear ruby red, reminiscent of Chenle's eyes, is the color of the string, woven and braided to a pattern which forms a strap for the bookmark. It's not the most perfect he's ever seen in his life, but it's perfect in its own ways - at least in Kun's eyes.

"-Ten said this flower is kind of a special symbol, and it only blooms once in a long while, so, uh- Jisung saw it with Johnny, so I asked him how I can make that and- dunno," Chenle tries to explain, to hide the embarrassment that comes in an influx of sparkles around his skin.

It's really this one thing with vampires and 'blushing'.

"You made a bookmark for me?" Kun wonders out loud. _That's_ what the frequent visits at Ten were for (beside visiting Jisung, obviously)? No wonder Ten looked rather smug before … though all of this becomes less important when he looks at the young vampire in front of him.

Kun smiles warmly, and puts the bookmark back into the envelope, carefully in order not to harm a single part of it.

Chenle scoffs. "Nah, I mean - can't have you being the only one giving out things, so, uh-" he hurries to say, but eventually, there is a smile. "A token of my gratitude. Thanks a lot, for, like, keeping up with me."

"It's not always a pleasure," Kun hums, "but I wouldn't trade it for anything."

Yeah - even as so much time passes, again and again, this does … have the feeling of a start, somewhere. Perhaps, maybe.

_Works for me_ , he thinks to himself.

Kun heaves himself up. "Then, should we go back in? I think the sun will start to rise soon," he remarks, offering a hand to Chenle - who takes it, standing up as well.

"Huh? How do you know that without looking at the time? It looks pretty okay-ish to me …" the younger squints, evoking an amused laugh out of the leader.

"Pay attention to your surroundings - the sky, the shadows, and you'll come to notice it, too," he remarks, pointing at something before he disappears into the house first.

It's only a small step, but … well, what a step.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... and this closes yet another story in this weird universe of mine (where I even forgot to tag 'vampires' first ... lol). I don't take much credibility about how to celebrate Chinese New Year, though, as it can and will be different for everyone! And I ... did skip a few steps that usually come here and there as I was already running on so many words sjdbahvdhsbd regardless, I hope you enjoyed the story a bit!  
> * on this note, the mentioned nian gao is actually a failed experiment of ours HAHA, and there are plenty ways to make it! I think my family has their own recipe that's ... pretty simple tho lol
> 
> It was a new thing to write about family dynamics specifically, but I really enjoyed it and hope to write about more and different types of relationships across the year, in this universe ö^ö I have a few ideas, but not sure when I will get to it ... -stares at the ever-rising pile of WIPs-
> 
> What is left to say? I always feel like I have a lot to say when I'm not writing these lines ... lol but! My favorite sentence in this is: "Don't make it sound as if you regret the way I turned out," as spoken by Chenle here. This and the previous sentence just ... idk, felt cathartic to write?
> 
> Feel free to let me know your thoughts about everything, or if you have any tips on how to handle a group scene better, _please_ xDD Even so, I hope you have some happy days! If you are interested in an overview of what I currently work on, click no further than [here](https://nwhrs.tumblr.com/ao3wips)! I do work on an encyclopedic summary of what's relevant to this universe, too, but ... let's see when I can get to it lol.  
> In other words, I hope you have a lovely day - thank you so much for reading, stay safe and take care of yourself!! <3


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